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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Connecting and re-connecting with our passion is the hardest and most rewarding work of our lifetime.

In fact I would argue it is the work we came here to do.

It is the calling of passion that propels us to seek out the best in life, and that sustains us during the difficulties we inevitably encounter in finding our way.

Callings may last a lifetime, or may need to be redefined as we mature.

What is Calling You Forward At This Time in Life

is the seminar topic for our upcoming

Women's Winter Workshop

February 27th - March 3rd in Boca Grande, Florida.

The retreat will be held at the Boca Grande Beach Club on Gasparilla Island. This waterfront locale affords us a private sanctuary to practice gentle/restorative Yoga, share delicious/healthy meals and explore the daily seminar topics in our own way.

Passion connects us with presence, enthusiasm and focus, yet does not require talent, proclivity, strength or expertise.

Come thaw out with us in Boca Grande!

Click on the Workshops Page above for more details and register by using the pull down menu in the sidebar. -->

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

When we acknowledge that desire is a natural by-product of being alive it allows us to view our yearnings in the same light as hunger or the need for sleep.

So maintaining peace of mind will require that we recognize what is/isn't working for us on a mental and emotional level, just as noticing which foods do/don't agree with us will benefit our physical well-being.

This awareness allows us to throw out the idea that engaging in a conversation with your desires is a selfish indulgence, and help to cultivate the habit of listening to our deeper selves. If you'd like an exercise to kick start the process, try this….

1.Think about how we are designed to receive unconscious information through

- a recent dream- a song or thought that keeps playing in your head- a feeling that pops up during yoga or meditation- a physical ache or pain for no apparent reason2.Now give yourself a block of uninterrupted time to write an honest letter to a close friend. In this letter you analyze what that dream or recurring song might be saying about your current state.

For instance, I have recently been having dreams about dogs…not big scary ones, but friendly small dogs that create a feeling of sweetness to my dream. Now I could assume this means I should get a dog (which may be true) or I might also discern that it's time to allow more "sweetness" into my life in a variety of forms.

3. While your unconscious messages may not be as pleasant as this example, try to state your interpretation in a positive way.

When we do this "I lost my wallet in the dream" can become "I was separated from my money, which led me to search out other form of support". Re-framing your interpretation may require reading your letter many times. No problem, as this often leads to deeper insights.

4.As you do this pay particular attention to

- how your body is feeling- what pops into your awareness as you read/revise- emotions that surface, no matter how surprising

and include a note about these reactions to your letter.

5.When you feel you have come to an illuminating interpretation of your dream, recurring song, etc. I recommend you hang or post your final draft somewhere where you will see it daily.

As you may have guessed, this is a letter to your closest friend: you. Reread it often, let the message percolate and, most importantly, take some positive action based upon this new information.

Monday, October 27, 2014

I just sent out a November Newsletterwith more information about our Women's Winter Workshop content and my guest speaker, Anne Bonney. You will also find several other articles that may inspire you to become the hero of your own story. When the concept for this retreat was forming in September of this year, I decided that the seminar portion of our retreat would focus on listening and responding to our callings, both large and small.

Since then, as is often the case, every time I click on a new link, have a spontaneous conversation, or turn on the TV I encounter yet another reference to this topic.

One such serendipitous encounter took place a few weeks ago when I heard Elizabeth Gilbert on Super Soul Sunday. She was speaking to the fact that there are no heroic journey stories (ala Joseph Campbell) that depict women as the hero of their own quest. Maybe it's time we write some.

To craft a new story for ourselves requires that we quiet down and become more present. Like many of you, this is a constant dance for me, and to do so we need time, space and support.

So consider joining us for four nights and five days to renew body, mind, spirit AND direction as 2015 unfolds. At this writing the retreat is filling quickly, soplease register via the pulldown menu in the sidebar->

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

I haven't paid much attention to the exact date of the Fall Equinox this year, so was pleased to know after a long walk in the waters of Nauset Beach that today, September 23rd, was the day.

I could feel it. The warm water underfoot and the bright sun overhead were sandwiched between a dry, 70 degree breeze. With daylight and darkness being equal today it marks a time of balance, and historically is a time to rest after the active days of summer that culminate in harvest.

It is interesting then that these bridge seasons are also a time when we can feel a physical and emotionalimbalance.

Vata, one of the three ayurvedic energies (doshas) believed to circulate in the body and govern physiological activity, governs movement in the body, the nervous system and elimination. Vata literally means wind, and as the fall season rolls on it can exercise great influence over the other doshas: Pitta (fire) and Kapha (water).

Too much wind can simply blow you off course.

Too much wind can feel like…

over thinking, hypervigilance, clumsiness, stiffness, dryness and digestive disruptions.You can take a quick quiz on Depak Chopra's site to see what your predominant dosha might be.

So take a page from our ancestors, and if you notice these imbalances try slowing down, getting back on a regular schedule for sleeping and eating, keep warm and integrate heavier spices into your life such as basil, cinnamon, citrus, cloves and sage.

Lastly this is also a time to look back, not only on the seasons past but on our lives. What do we want to continue, and what are we ready to let go of?

As you consider these questions I'll share a quote that has been resonating with me this week:"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

I called my latest newsletter the GOOD NEWSletterto highlight a few things that have inspired me recently.

If you did not
receive it, just click here and put Newsletter in the subject line. Then
prepare to be inspired!

Here is a bonus video that I did not include
in the newsletter...

There Is Still Time

is about a Brazilian social experiment involving parents and
their children. Among other things it illustrates how we can become cynical about the future when we intellectualize. When we personalize, however, our
hearts open, and perhaps our vision of what is possible expands along with it.

Just click here to view the video. It is best viewed full screen so subtitles can be easily read. Enjoy!

Friday, September 20, 2013

A W A K E N A W A K E N A W A K E N A W A K E N

When Women Awaken, Mountains MoveChinese Proverb

Nadi Sodhana or Alternate Nostril Breath is a
great way to start to open your central channel. We’ll be practicing this during the Women’s
Workshop, Cultivating Your Intuition, Creativity and Yoga Practice, before our gentle/active morning yoga sessions to enhance connection to our intuition.

Try this in conjunction with yoga, meditation or anytime during the day when you want to ground, tap into your reserves of balanced energy, and go inward.

Give It A Go...

1. Close the right nostril with your right thumb
and inhale through the left nostril.Do this to the count of four seconds.

2. Now close the left nostril with your
right ring finger, and at the same time remove your thumb
from the right nostril. Exhale through this nostril.Do this to the count
of eight seconds.This completes a half round.

3. Now Inhale through the right nostril to the count
of four seconds. Close the right nostril with your right thumb, and exhale
through the left nostril to the count of eight seconds.This completes one full
round.

Start by doing three rounds, adding one per week up to seven rounds.

Alternate
nostril breathing should not be practiced if you have a cold or if your nasal
passages are blocked in any way. Forced breathing through the nose may lead to
complications. In pranayama it is important to follow this rule: under no
circumstances should anything be forced. If you use the nostrils for breath
control they must be unobstructed. If they are not, you must practice throat
breathing.

Want to receive my newsletter with more articles and information about yoga and upcoming events?

Saturday, August 24, 2013

I don’t think most of us would answer
“the brain” when asked where intuition dwells.We would likely place a hand on our heart, our solar plexus, or our
belly to indicate that instinct is about a body connection.

As women we are strongly connected to the bodythrough our monthly cycle, childbirth, our primal tend/befriend
instincts, and later through the transformation of menopause.

Interestingly enough we are also encouraged to be more disconnected
from our bodiesthrough media messages, and the urging of our culture to
compare ourselves to each other and to societal stereotypes.

We see this shift in young girls. Up to around 9 years of age we will typically
experience and express ourselves openly through the body. As we near puberty and beyond we will more
often modify our impressions/expressions of ourselves (and our bodies) based
upon how we think others will
perceive us.

With the addition of this filter our
experience of ourselves shifts away from feeling/acting (a body model) to thinking/comparing
(a brain model).

Taking ourselves to the next
level...to upgrade our health, career, relationships or sense of self…requires that we work to reverse the mind/body split. By integrating our analytical
intelligence AND the deep aptitude of our physical selves (that I call body wit) we really have the opportunity to be quite powerful.

Another word for this body wisdom is
INTUITION. Whether you believe that our
intuition is generated internally or externally, as I mentioned earlier we
sense that the receptor and repository of this intuitive information lies in
the flesh.

The link between yoga and intuition is fairly simple.Yoga, or more
specifically slow yogic breathing, allows us to quiet the mind as we awaken the
body through a sequence of postures.

I emphasize the slowing down of the
breath because it’s ability to quiet the chattering brain…during our yoga
practice or at any time…is pivotal to receiving
information from the deep intelligence of the body while still keeping the brain engaged.

They say that the average person is 7 heads tall. That’s a great visual to
have as we consider how we usually go about solving problems. Perhaps it will help us consider enlisting our
entire being to craft the health, career or life that we really want.

When we cultivate our yoga practice we cultivate our intuitive connection. When we cultivate our intuitive connection we start making better decisions. Become your own best advisor!